29 March 2006
A Flexible Mind is Just as Important as Flexible Muscles
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

Click here to listen to this program.

Place 1 Greg McMillan Austin ,TX 37 17:13 5:31 per mile

Splits:

Comments: Well, it was a fun race and well run. The course was on deep mulch for 1.5 miles and was long by ~400m but my effort was good so I'm happy.

24 March 2006
Coach Kelly Liljeblad-Keane Ranked #5 by Running Times Magazine
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

I'm proud to announce that Running Times has ranked McMillan Running Pro Team athlete and coach Kelly Liljeblad-Keane #5 in it's rankings for 2005. In 2005, Coach Kelly not only won the Houston Marathon but also set new PR's at every distance from 5K to the marathon! McMillan Running - We practice what we preach! Congrats Kelly!

Greg

23 March 2006
Traning Lag and Performance
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

Click here to listen to this program.

Place 7 Greg McMillan Austin ,TX 37 54:03 5:24 per mile

Splits:

Comments: Legs starting to come around right on schedule. Felt good throughout but had a stich from 8.5 to 9.5. Happy with performance on this downhill course.

14 March 2006
Another Week - Another (subpar) Race
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

Click here to listen to this program.

Place 2 Greg McMillan Austin ,TX 37 1:17:43 5:56 per mile

Splits: [Watch malfunction so I don't have all the splits]

Mile 1- 6:14
Mile 2- 5:49
Mile 3- 5:39
Mile 4- 5:53
Miles 5-8 ~5:50 pace
Miles 9-13 ~6:00-6:15 pace

Comments: Legs still flat from training but this race was more of a mental letdown than a physical letdown as I can feel my fitness improving but just didn't execute a proper race plan.

7 March 2006
Finally Racing Again
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

Click here to listen to this program.

Read more from the local scene:

http://www.runtex.com/NewsView.asp?key_m=604

Place 1 Greg McMillan Austin ,TX 37 16:30 5:17 per mile

Splits:

Mile 1- 5:25
Mile 2- 5:20
Mile 3- 5:13

Comments: Very rusty after 5 month break from racing. Heavy training load has left my legs flat.

22 November 2005
I Now Believe in Myself!
By Jonas Holdeman
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

In December of 2001, Millie ran her first marathon in Huntsville, Alabama, posting a time of 5:37:59. Little did she know this would stand as her PR for another four years and through another five marathons. “I just knew I could run faster,” she says, “I just wasn’t sure when or how”.

Millie and I began working together in January of 2005. At the time, she was running three, occasionally four, times per week; and, had been employing the Galloway Method of taking regular walk breaks in training and races. Her ultimate goal: to qualify for the Boston Marathon. “My husband used to kid me that if I ran until I was in my 70s, I would surely get a qualifying time , and with several sub-par times and performances, I wasn’t sure how long it would take”.

In starting out, we had two objectives: increase the number of training days per week to six and increase her mileage base. For a runner whose training pace is in the neighborhood of 13:00 per mile, that can be a challenge: daily training runs can take ninety minutes or more and the weekly long run often lasts over four hours.

Millie was up to the task. From January 17 through May 21, Millie incrementally increased her weekly training days and lifted her mileage from 25 miles per week to over 40 mpw and added several additional long runs—most notably the fast-finish long runs—to her marathon preparation routine. Though she was in shape to run 5:30:00 at the Olathe Marathon in Olathe, Kansas, summer came early to the Central Plains: temperatures that were in the 60s at the start rose into the 80s by the time Millie hit the 20-mile mark. She did not achieve her goal of a PR on that day. “Though I was disappointed with my time (5:47), I knew there was nothing I could do about the weather. It just made my resolve that much stronger.”

Millie set her sights on a fast course for a fall marathon in 2005: Chicago. She spent the summer increasing her mileage and improving her speed. PRs at everything from the 5K through the half marathon followed; and, a week out from Chicago, she felt ready to set another, more important, PR in the marathon. “My long runs had been just great—especially my marathon-paced runs—and I knew I was ready to run fast”, she recalled.

Fate had other plans for Millie as a family illness meant that her marathon plans would have to wait. Fortunately, the illness was short lived and she was able to carry her fitness into another marathon, this time running without her friends as they had run Chicago.

The race she found could not have been in a more appropriate place: the Chickamauga Battlefield near Chattanooga, Tennessee. I had run part of the course before when racing the Chickamauga Chase years ago; and, thought the terrain and weather would be good for a marathon PR attempt.

It was.

With a supportive family there to see it, Millie emerged from the rising heat and fog of the wooded battlefield course, and charged across the finish line in 5:29:05, setting a PR by nearly 9 full minutes, and finishing 3 rd in her age group! Her joy was evident in her words upon finding out her time and place after the race: “I believe in myself now—I so believe in myself.”

We believe in you, too . . . way to go, Millie!

Jonas

7 November 2005
Breathe Easy – McMillan Running Goes Solar
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company, Inc.

Taking advantage of the Austin’s aggressive renewal energy program, McMillan Running Company headquarters is now powered by the sun! The roof-top solar voltaic system provides 100% of McMillan Running’s energy needs with non-polluting solar energy. So, go run and breathe deep. McMillan Running is helping to keep our air clean for years to come!

Greg

McMillan Running in the news-

You may have seen on the website that I wrote a chapter for the new book called Run Strong. I hope you’ll check it out. There are some great coaches and athletes who wrote chapters for the book, many who we don’t hear from often so it’s nice to get their insights. You can purchase it by clicking on the link in the sidebar on the right.

In Hal Higdon’s latest edition of his popular book – Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, he recommends the McMillan Running Calculator as his calculator of choice for estimating race performance and training paces. What a thrill to be mentioned by a legend in the sport like Hal. (Hal also recommends the McMillan Running Calculator for those using his online training plans.)

Over the next few months, keep an eye out for articles from Jonas and myself in Runner’s World and Running Times.

And if you happen to be checking out Triathlete Magazine, look for a recap of Ironman Lake Placid as well as the article on up and coming triathletes. If you think that Kim Loeffler looks very much like Kelly Keane, you’re right. They are identical twins. Kim is now the US National Champion and is headed to Hawaii for the Ironman World Championships. What a year it’s been for those sisters! And, I can honestly say that I have never seen such incredible support they offer each other. It’s very inspiring.

Greg

1 September 2005
Watch The Watch?
by Jonas Holdeman
McMillan Running Company

We had a break in the very hot, humid weather this week in Memphis. As the front edge of Hurricane Katrina pushed through the Mid-South region, temperatures that had been in the mid- to upper-90s dropped into the low 80s for a few days. For me, this was a training bonanza. Easy runs felt almost effortless; and, harder training sessions were faster and easier. Though consistently cooler weather is still many weeks off, I took the opportunity to run my 10-mile loop twelve minutes faster while maintaining the same level of effort I exerted when running at noon in 95-degree heat and 70% humidity. Does this seem like a super-human result? It’s not, and here’s why . . .

Effort-based training is not a new concept; but, it is significant in that if more runners trained based on effort rather than The Watch, they’d run faster races and enjoy training a lot more. You may be thinking, “Hey, now, Coach! What about the Calculator? Why do you send me that calculator with my training plan and why do we update it every time I set a new PR?” These are good questions! To clarify, McMillan Running devised the calculator as a tool to help people train better. The Calculator provides you with guidelines for effort exertion. You see, all the paces and times it projects (based on current fitness) present ranges from which to choose when seeking to train a particular energy system – Endurance, Stamina, Speed or Sprint. We use time and pace ranges because we know that, based on weather conditions, your hydration status, how much sleep you’ve gotten, your level of Life stress, and other factors, you will need to match your effort to how you are feeling in order to optimize your training experiences. The Calculator provides a guide to getting you in touch with appropriate effort levels.

Here’s a few tips to help you use the pace ranges from the Calculator to manage your training effort.

• Try running a session on a track or other marked course to get an effort “benchmark”. I like to try to match the conditions from the race used to set the calculator to get the best feel for the pace I am interested in dialing in. By paying attention to things like respiration rate, I become familiar with the effort required to maintain a particular pace, whether it is my long run pace or my fast intervals.
• Ditch the headset. Not only is running with your portable radio or mp3 player more dangerous (because you are less aware of potential hazards, like cars and dogs), it will distract you from paying attention to your body and how hard you are working.
• Run alone occasionally. Though I enjoy running with others, I am far less aware of how I’m feeling when chatting away with another person. When I run solo—which is most of the time—I am attuned with my body’s rhythms on that day and can adjust my effort accordingly. This self-awareness really helps me establish and maintain proper pacing during a race.
• Leave your watch in the mailbox. It sounds weird, but, I often start my stopwatch and leave it in my mailbox while running one of my usual training routes. While cruising along, I think about how hard I should be running, and try to predict how long it will take me, based on the weather, how I’m feeling, etc. Being in touch with my body helps me train at the appropriate level on that day, which helps me meet my longer-term racing goals.

So, try some of the tips above in order to enjoy your training more and run your races faster!

Jonas

26 August 2005
Don’t Think!
By Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

A running friend and I have started playing golf. We stink but it’s a nice diversion. In golf, our mantra has become, “Don’t think!” If you’ve ever played golf, you’ll agree. Once the brain starts working – thinking about any part of the swing while you’re playing – bad, bad things happen. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes which says that a big part of success is the ability to “get out of your own way”. No better example than a technique sport like golf.

But, I think this also applies to running. Of late, I’ve noticed some runners over thinking everything – from training to nutrition to equipment to racing. Hours are spent thinking, thinking and thinking some more. It’s becoming a case of paralysis by analysis. We must remember that our sport is very simple and we are very lucky to have decades and decades of successful runners and coaches that have shown us how to be successful. We just need to relax, follow the general guidelines and enjoy the training and racing.

Now, I’m not immune to the over thinking. As an exercise scientist, I enjoy the precision that can now be used to prescribe training. But as a coach, I have seen that just how precise we need to be is not as precise as you might think. If you look at the graph I use on the website to describe the four training zones (section 2 of the training article), you’ll see that we often have quite wide pace, heart rate and effort zones for the different types of training. Even the calculator provides pace ranges so that we don’t have to worry so much about running exactly the theoretically perfect pace. I take solace in this. The way I think about it is that all I have to do is be in the right zone during the workout and I’ll get the adaptations I’m after. I use effort as my primary guide for the right zone with pace and sometimes heart rate as backup gauges. Once this is done, I can shut off my analytical brain and focus more on enjoying the training, building positive momentum in my training and getting excited for upcoming races.

Of course, I could come home and download my pace, distance and heart rate data and pour over it. I could stress about the fact that my pace was out of the range for 3 minutes during the run or the fact that my heart rate was a few beats higher than ‘normal’ for that type of run, even though I know that the heat and humidity caused it. I could stress out about whether I got exactly a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in my post run shake. I could fret about whether I’m training too little or, no, maybe it’s too much. Am I overtrained? Am I undertrained? Should I get a blood test? Should I taper more for my race? Am I tapering too much? What about what I read Meb and Deena do? Should I do that as well? Should I lace my right shoe or my left one first? STOP THE MADNESS!!

You get my point. Don’t over think your training and racing. Do the workouts within the correct effort zone and the results will come. They always do. I find that the athletes who are the most successful are the ones that make their running a high priority, have the discipline to train hard when it’s time to train hard and to train easy when it’s time to train easy. They are also the ones that keep a good balance between focus on training and a relaxed attitude toward it. And, the absolute most important aspect is that your running is a positive experience. You must enjoy it – even with its ups and downs, good days and bad - and never get too obsessed with any one detail. So, let’s commit to not over thinking things this fall. We are already having some great success in early season racing from McMillan Running athletes and I look forward to celebrating more success as the weather cools.

17 August 2005
Taming the Dog Days of Summer
by Greg McMillan, M.S. and Jonas Holdeman
McMillan Running Company

Feeling like you’re getting no where with your training?  I sure do.  One thing I’m learning by living in hot and humid Austin is that you just have to back off, run by effort and get in your runs whenever possible. And, I’m not alone.  Most of you are experiencing the same thing.  You’re working hard but the workout times aren’t there or you have to really force it to achieve your normal workout times (not a good idea).  You feel sluggish and just plain worn out.  You are cranky and irritable. Your confidence suffers.  This has been a very hot and humid summer all over.  We’re nearly through but there are still some steamy days ahead.

Of course, I can’t complain.  Jonas lives in an area with some the highest heat and humidity in the country.  Lucky for us, we can learn from his experience. 

Jonas’ 6 Tips to Tame the Dog Days of Summer

1. Stay hydrated! Being properly hydrated isn’t just a good idea - it’s the law (of physiology, that is)! Your blood is a marvelous part of your body and does a lot to help you stay cool when the weather isn’t. Help your blood help you shed body heat by drinking plenty of fluids prior to exercise in the hot and humid weather. A good rule of thumb is to consume 16 to 24 ounces of plain old water 2 to 3 hours prior to exercise. Then, drink another 10 to 12 ounces 10 minutes prior. If your urine is clear, you’re well-hydrated!
2. Drink fluids during running. New guidelines established by USA Track & Field suggests we can stay well-hydrated and avoid hyponatremia (a dangerous condition in which sodium balance in the cells is disrupted by consuming too much water) by drinking when we get thirsty. Exercise scientists have recently concluded that the old adage “by the time you perceive thirst, you are already a quart low” is not such a hard and fast rule useful any longer. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow a sensible routine. It just means that you don’t have to drown yourself in water. By carrying a bottle (or two, like me) of fluids via a fanny pack or bladder system (like a Camelback), you can respond to your body’s thirst when it arises. Greg even likes to add an electrolyte mix to his fluids during running.
3. Drink up after running. Long after you have stopped exercising, your body is still rocking along, burning fat and trying to blow off excess heat. In hot and humid climates, you can become dehydrated just sitting around! One of the simplest ways to make sure you restore proper levels of hydration is to use your good, old household scale. Just weigh yourself (in the buff) prior to exercise and then again after you’ve taken a shower post-exercise; or, a good 30 minutes after you’ve stopped running. The difference in weight—if there is any—is what you’ve lost in water weight. To rectify that situation, over the next hour or so, just drink to replace the weight loss. And, rather than plain water, you’re better off drinking a solution that contains electrolytes in addition to any post-workout recovery shake and sports drink.
4. Pick your hot spots. Research suggests it takes from 10 to 21 days to become acclimated to hot weather. And while that acclimation process can be uncomfortable, one of the side benefits you get is improved running economy! That’s a pretty good pay-off. But rather than spend each training session slugging it out at high noon, alternate days of running when it is warmer out—like between 12:00PM and 5:00PM—and when it is cooler. Long runs and up-tempo work are better performed in cooler conditions, as you are less likely to suffer from heat distress. If you know you’ll be racing in the heat of the day, occasionally train hard at that time. If you take time to get acclimated and practice good hydration habits, you’ll find training (and racing) in the heat to be a challenging and rewarding experience. Of course, if you never have to race in the heat of the day, you’re lucky and can always train when it’s cooler!
5. Adjust your effort—and expectations. Though the research is not definitive on this topic, expect a decline in performance of between 5% and 10% for every 10-degree temperature increase above about 70F; especially, in longer events. When training, just slow down and let your body tell you how far and how fast to push. I was recently running so slowly around noon on a hot and humid day that I imagined I would soon be passed by little old ladies out for their mid-day stroll! Always let your body be your guide. If it’s hot, don’t force it but simply get in a good effort and call it a day. Fast times in training and racing will come once the weather cools so don’t fret about it.
6. Sit . . . Stay! Ultimately, if you’re just too run down from too many hot days and not enough rest or water, then, adjust your activities accordingly. Heck, take the day off! You’ll be amazed at how much better you might feel after a day of complete rest and re-hydration.

The above tips are general guidelines for beating the heat and enjoying your running (and your summertime living) more. For more specific information, log-on to USATF’s informative website at: http://www.usatf.org/groups/Coaches/library/hydration/. Happy reading!

Jonas’ tips will really help us survive these last few weeks of summer and as a physiologist, I know that training and racing in the heat are not just hard on the body, the mind also suffers. To avoid a mental meltdown and total loss of confidence, we have to be reasonable about our workout and race performances.  We have to adjust our expectations and know that the work we are doing now will pay off when the temperatures cool.  And they will.  Fall is just around the corner and I suspect that we’ll be flying when the first cold front comes through.  I, personally, can’t wait!

So, don’t worry if you feel like you aren’t making any progress.  It’s likely that your fitness, like mine, is simply covered up by the heat and humidity. Once the weather cools and this heat load moves aside, our fitness will really show through. 

Stay cool!

Greg

5 August 2005
How's Your Balance?
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

One of the best presentations at last week’s coaching conference (see previous eNewsletter) was on balance, which some experts suggest will help us avoid injury and race faster.  Balance in this instance was not about balancing your stress/rest cycle or even balancing the strength and flexibility of opposing muscle groups.  This balance was high wire, balance beam, walking a line-type balance.  Pure balance, you might say.   

Now, I know balance is important to running because I learned it early in my running career.  My high school coach told us get dressed and undressed standing up, especially when putting on or taking off our shorts, pants, shoes and socks.  He said that it gave us short but frequent balance training.  I’ve not forgotten his advice but as we age, we move more and more away from challenging our balance.  As kids, we’re always climbing around on things, standing in funny poses just for the fun of it and even participating in made-up games that often require some form of balance.  As adults, we sit. And, it doesn’t take much balance to sit. 

In the balance presentation at the conference, the instructor showed that developing your balance was very, very easy – requiring no special equipment or commitment of time.  Give these exercises a try and after you get through this initial program, begin to perform them once or twice a week (in addition to following my high school coach’s advice to stand when getting dressed). 

1)     Stand on one leg for 15-25 seconds.  Rest five seconds.  Stand on the other leg for 15-25 seconds.  Repeat three times on each leg.  Perform one to five times per week for two weeks.

2)     Stand on one leg for 20-30 seconds and close one eye.  Rest 5 seconds.  Stand on the other leg for 20-30 seconds and close the other eye.  Repeat three times on each leg.  Perform one to five times per week for two weeks.

3)     Stand on one leg for 15-25 seconds and close both eyes.  Rest 5 seconds.  Stand on the other leg for 15-25 seconds with both eyes closed.  (Pretty hard isn’t it?!)  Repeat three times on each leg.  Perform one to five times per week for two weeks.  

Now, you’re probably saying that these look too easy.  Well, give them a try and see.  I bet you’ll find that you can balance on one leg better than the other.  And, if you’re like me, the leg that has the worse balance is the one where you get most of your injuries.  Go ahead and do one more set of exercises on your ‘bad’ leg just to give it a little more balance training. 

I also bet you’ll find that your balance varies from day to day and may even be related to your training so that days following a hard workout, you may have worse balance.  You may also find that you feel much better while running after a couple of weeks of balance training.  These exercises offer not only a glimpse into our balance decrements but also a look into how our neuromuscular system responds and adapts to our training.   

Like any other exercise, there are a few rules that you must follow.  First, you must maintain proper posture when doing balance training.  Stand tall – eyes forward, head on top of shoulders, shoulders on top of hips, hips on top of feet.  Second, look straight ahead.  You’ll want to look down but don’t.  Look straight ahead.  We want to ‘feel’ the balance not see it.  We run with our eyes ahead so we need to improve our balance in this same ‘running tall’ posture.  Third, hold your arms naturally at your side. They can’t be waving around or stuck out strangely to one side or the other.  Relax them and let them fall at your side.  This goes for the hands as well.  No weird crunching of fingers or clenching of fists.  Find your balance point and then relax the arms and hands.  Get in touch with this position.  Really feel it.  Fourth, keep the foot flat on the ground, weight centered.  Don’t lean on your toes or on the outside of your foot.  Get in touch with the ground and find your foot’s balance point. And, don’t let the knees collapse in or out.  The same goes for the hips.  Your waistband should remain level.  Don’t let your hip drop as you stand on one leg.  Lastly, breathe!  Despite our feeling that these exercises should be easy, you’ll be amazed at how you grunt, snort, hold your breath and strain.  Be conscious of this and remember to breathe easy.  Relax...

Because body position is so important, I recommend that you start by doing these exercises in front of a full length mirror (in bare feet, of course).  You can then monitor your body position and make corrections (usually to relax) as you go. Our goal is to get you to run taller with more balance and while relaxed. 

In the future, we’ll provide the next steps in the progression of balance training - fun exercises that gradually but progressively challenge your balance.  If you have good natural balance, you’ll be able to progress a little faster.  If you have poor balance, then take it slower and give your body time to improve its balance. 

I think you’ll find these exercises fun and enlightening.  In fact, they are great to do with your kids (or significant others that act like kids!).  Sure beats just sitting on the couch watching TV.  Let’s strive to improve our balance this year.

1 August 2005
Master Coaches Meet in McMillanville
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Over the last 15 years that I’ve been coaching, I’ve been lucky to meet with, work with, and hear lecture most of the great coaches and exercise scientists. Last week was no exception. Jonas and I headed to Flagstaff, Arizona to the Center for High Altitude Training for a coaching conference headlined by Jack Daniels and Joe Vigil.

Flagstaff is a great city for running. It sits at 7000 feet – a perfect altitude for training – and has miles and miles of soft trails within the city. I have a particular affinity for Flagstaff (or McMillanville as I like to call it) because its first settler was Thomas McMillan – to whom I’m related. In fact, if you ever visit Flagstaff, you’ll walk by the McMillan Bank and Hotel building in downtown and can run on the McMillan Mesa Trail. The Grand Canyon Trust is now based in “Uncle Tom’s” old homestead. Despite my bias, Flagstaff is definitely a top site for altitude training and I recommend a trip there if you get the chance. It's beautiful and only a short drive to the Grand Canyon area which offers spectacular scenery.

Flagstaff and the Center for High Altitude Training located at Northern Arizona University recently got a huge boost when legendary coach, Jack Daniels, became the Head Distance Running Coach for the Center. I met Dr. Daniels 10 years ago at an American College of Sports Medicine. He was part of a collection of distance running experts doing a special presentation as part of the 20 year anniversary of Pre’s death. Daniels is a friend of my mentor from graduate school so I got to bend his ear about training. He has certainly had a great impact on helping runners blend practical coaching advice and exercise science – something I strive to do as well. It was great to hear him speak again and I’ll be passing along some of the ideas he presented in future enewsletters.

If having Jack Daniels on your staff wasn’t enough, the Center has recently added Joe Vigil as it Senior Coaching Consultant. “Coach” as everyone calls him, now lives outside of Tucson and believes that Flagstaff is the best high altitude location in the US – even better than Mammoth Lakes where Deena and Meb live. I met Vigil five years ago when some of my athletes were training at the Olympic Training Center outside of San Diego alongside some of his athletes. Then, as now, my advice is that if you ever have the opportunity to hear Vigil speak, do. He’s so motivating. His underlying theme is that it takes hard work to be a good runner but that everyone can do it. It’s just a matter of establishing your priorities and sticking with your goals. I’m always a better coach after listening to Vigil. As with Daniels, I’ll provide some insights into Vigil’s presentations in later enewsletters.

Lastly, it was really great to reconnect with the staff at the Center for High Altitude Training. Prior to coaching the Discovery USA team in 2001, I researched altitude training sites in the US. Like Vigil, I saw Flagstaff as a great place to train and was in the planning stages of setting up a high altitude program for Olympic development athletes. During a scouting visit to Flagstaff, I met with the staff at the Center and was impressed with their support structure as well as their vision for the future. Upon this recent return to Flagstaff, I was delighted that they remembered me from our meeting so long ago, and it was great to see that both of us were still working toward our mutual goal of helping runners. Please visit their website at http://www.hastc.nau.edu/ and look for future enewsletters outlining some of the great topics covered during this coaching conference.

25 July 2005
Maintaining Motivation
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Is it hot and humid enough for you?

It’s been hot where I live so much so that it can sometimes take all the fun and enjoyment out of training. I often have to slow way down and usually feel quite sluggish. As I train through a hot and humid summer, I’m reminded of the “secret” to running success that I’ve discovered over the years through my own training and the training of those I’ve coached. The most important variable in a successful training plan is the maintenance of your motivation – your desire to train and race. This isn’t to say that your running must always be “fun.” The hill workouts I’ve been doing lately are often slightly less than fun, especially the last two or three repeats. But your motivation to get out there and train and race should remain high throughout the plan. If your motivation drops, you are probably training too hard – and in the summer, this usually means that you aren’t adjusting your pace to account for the heat.

While scientists continue to search for a hormone or enzyme or some other variable that will indicate overtraining in athletes, I believe your motivation to train and race is the easiest and maybe the best indicator of whether you’re overtraining. If you experience a drop in motivation, take a step back until it returns. I’ve counseled many athletes who lost their motivation because they trained too hard. They felt some need or pressure to complete every workout session of their training plan at some exact training pace – no matter what. Any deviation from the plan would surely ruin their chances of success in the goal race. My job then became to convince them that taking an extra easy day or adjusting the pace to account for the heat would allow their minds and bodies to recover and get them back on track. In all my athletes, bar none, motivation returned, their bodies recovered and they went into their goal race hungry with desire. This is important for all of us in the summer. Be smart and adjust your paces to account for heat and humidity. Focus more on effort in the heat rather than paces. Trust me, when the cool weather comes in another month or two, you’ll be flying!

We all experience a little tiredness and an occasional drop in desire to train every now and then but it should only last a day or two. If this becomes your normal mental state, it’s an indication you’re doing too much and doing it too fast. Your training and racing should offer a unique opportunity to learn more about yourself. It should foster an ever-increasing level of fitness and enjoyment – a cycle of greater and greater motivation to challenge yourself and experience the thrill of getting the most from your running. In your training, do whatever it takes to stay motivated. I guarantee you’ll race better and have more fun.

7 July 2005
I Have E.O.S.L
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

My dad has a condition called Selective Listening. My mother, the first to diagnose him, says his hearing is fine, but he only listens occasionally. I’ve recently been diagnosed with E.O.S.L. – Early Onset Selective Listening. It’s no surprise. I have several risk factors.

First, my father and grandfather had it, so it was only a matter of time. Second, males have a very high incidence of Selective Listening. My wife tells me it’s virtually non-existent in females. The male ego is mostly to blame. When the ego takes over, listening to reason and logic goes out the window (see I Feel Old enews below). The third risk factor is being a runner. As a runner, I constantly receive feedback from my body, but listen to it less often than I should. Combine running with the male ego and it’s double trouble. Most group-training runs might as well require race numbers as they usually end up as all-out efforts, ego versus ego. None of us listen to our bodies; we just hear the challenges of others.

Experts in the field (wives and girlfriends) say Selective Listening is manageable in males, curable in females. The first step is to accept that you have it. (This is especially troubling for males. See ego discussion above.) Next, go for three to four consecutive solitary runs in a quiet, secluded location. As you run, focus totally on the feelings of your body. Listen to everything. As distracting thoughts creep into your head, let them go and return to your body. Focus on your muscles, posture, breathing, and especially your effort level. With improved listening skills you’ll resist the temptation to overtrain, to yield to your ego and waste your hard efforts in workouts instead of races. Listen hard. Train smart.

22 June 2005
Today I Feel Young
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Today, I feel young.  For the last 4 days, I’ve been in Rochester Hills, Michigan – home of the Hanson’s/Brooks Distance Project.  USA Track & Field put together a summit for the athletes and coaches of the 2005 World Marathon Championship Team.  As her coach, I accompanied Kelly Keane (who will be competing on her second World Marathon Championship Team) to the summit.  The event allows the athletes to bond, for USA Track & Field to do the processing necessary for the Championships – lots of paperwork and choosing sizes for the equipment, etc., and for the performance enhancement team to present seminars on the Championships – all about Helsinki, the race course, the conditions, the past results plus nutritional and mental training lectures.  It’s great stuff for the athlete and a great opportunity for coaches to talk training and meet with experts in the field.  I was particularly happy to reconnect with Dr. David Martin who many of you know from his popular book – Training Distance Runners (and the later edition – Better Training for Distance Runners).  I also got to see the Hanson’s project up close, run on the trails and talk with the athletes.

Throughout the long weekend, we all introduced ourselves and got to know one another.  Several times, I introduced myself and was met with a puzzled look.  The first comment was usually, “You’re Greg McMillan?  I thought you would be a lot older.”  Apparently, I’m supposed to be much older looking with gray hair (if any at all) and slim (or fat depending on the person) as well as being short (or tall) or some combination of all of these traits.  So, just as I felt really old after my workout on Friday (see Friday’s team newsletter), I now feel young again.  It’s amazing how our feelings change from day to day through our interaction with others.

Over the next few days, I’ll pass along some of the ideas I thought were particularly important from the summit.

Today I feel old.  And, while I am getting older, it’s primarily because I made a training error.  I didn’t execute my workout properly and it left me tired – both physically and mentally.  In my current training phase, I often do a thirds progression run on Fridays and I’m lucky to be able to run it with 4-5 other runners.  Several of us were feeling tired before the run so we decided to take it a little easier today.  That was until another runner joined us.  He came up from behind and started talking with another guy and soon, the pace started to quicken.  Since we were going slower than usual, though, it really only increased to our normal starting pace.  Unfortunately, the pace didn’t settle down and soon, we were going a bit too fast, too early – not what you want to do in a thirds progression run!  To confound the problem, I was actually feeling better than I thought I would feel and let my ego get in the way.   

The guy who joined us is a ‘half stepper’.  He always has to stay half a step ahead of everyone.  You can’t run beside him and if you do run beside him, he’ll speed up.  This really frustrates me, always has, so despite my experience with this type of runner and knowing that nothing good comes from challenging a half-stepper in training, I decided that I was going to lead.  Predictably, he would have none of it and sped up.  I then sped up.  He sped up.  Everyone else dropped off.  Soon, we’re flying and this is in the middle third, not the final third!  Now, I’m in a full-on ego battle with a half-stepper and I’m determined to keep pushing until I hear him breathing hard.  If he’s going to lead, then he’s going to suffer!  Well, he did suffer but my stupid ego battle only left me tired and disappointed in myself.  I also didn’t get the most benefit from the progression run.  

People who know me respect that I am a smart trainer.  I practice what I preach and they are amazed that I can display extreme discipline in not getting drawn into training that is counter to my goals.  Today, though, I wasn’t disciplined.  I made a silly training error.  I guess every now and then we all need a reminder to be smart.  I sure got one today and I think I’ll be better for it.  Lesson learned.

Have a great weekend!

16 June 2005
Progression Runs - an In-Depth Look
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

During the summer base phase for many athletes, we use a lot of progression runs.  I really like progression runs because they are effort-based and provide a nice transition to the race-specific training that will come in subsequent training phases.  I like that you have the opportunity to not worry about the watch and can simply run as you feel letting effort be your guide.  (This is particularly beneficial in the summer when the heat can affect your pace.) Here are the effort levels for each of the three progression runs that we usually prescribe:

• Thirds Progression Run: First third of the run at an easy effort, middle third at a medium effort and last third at a medium-hard effort
• DUSA Progression Run: Easy run except for last 10 minutes at a medium-hard effort
• Fast Finish Progression Run: Easy run except for the last 5 minutes at a hard effort.

That said, a lot of us are very number-oriented and want to know the exact paces that correspond to these efforts.  While I prefer for you to learn your body, I understand that we often need a reference point to correlate effort with pace.  Soon enough, you’ll be able to complete any progression run purely by effort – great for when you are traveling and don’t have a marked course.  Here are the pace ranges for each progression run:

• Thirds Progression Run: First third of run at Recovery Run to Easy Run pace range from the calculator, middle third at Easy Run pace to around marathon race pace and last third at around marathon to half-marathon race pace.
• DUSA Progression Run: Easy run except for last 10 minutes at a half-marathon to 10K pace.
• Fast Finish Progression Run: Easy run except for the last 5 minutes at 5K or faster pace.

With all of these progression runs, I don’t mind running the final few minutes at an even faster pace then cool-down for a few minutes.  As always, as long as you are under control and never straining, you can have fun at the end of these runs.

Here is the website article on progression runs.

14 June 2005
Getting Away - Getting Home
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

I’m finally back home and in my office.  After a thrilling weekend in Boulder for the Running Getaway (click here for a recap) and a trip to South Carolina for my nephew’s high school graduation, I’m happy to finally be home.  I love to travel but I also love to come home. 

While traveling to South Carolina allows me to see family, my favorite part is getting to run with one of my best friends, Selwyn Blake.  (You may recognize his name from the website as we’ve been working together for several years.)  And running is exactly what we did yesterday – a nice 8-miler through the streets of Columbia.  This, of course, was followed by another hour of talking while stretching at Selwyn’s running store Strictly Running (www.strictlyrunning.com).  Thanks Selwyn!

Another benefit of being in South Carolina is that I get to visit with Ladd Lumpkin.  Ladd has become one of the poster boys for McMillan Running.  He has improved at every race distance and no longer dreams of placing in his age group but now expects to win his age group!  I get emails from interested athletes and they want to know the ‘secrets’ used to help Ladd improve so much.  The fact is there are no secrets.  Ladd simply used good old fashioned dedication, focus, consistency and hard work to get better.  He followed the program and the results fell right in place, just as planned.  I find that this is the true ‘secret’ to McMillan Running’s success – athletes being focused, dedicated, consistent and following the program.  If you do this, the results usually come seemingly without trying. 

Summer running in South Carolina is no picnic and this brings me to the point of this email – dealing with hot/humid running conditions.  Living in Austin, I am keenly aware of how heat and humidity affects training and racing and many of you are beginning to experience hot/humid conditions where you live.  My strategy for dealing with this are three fold:

• Run in the cooler parts of the day.  I run first thing in the morning to avoid high temperatures. 
• Forget pace.  When hot/humid conditions first set in, your body is simply not ready to handle it.  It takes a little while for your body to acclimate so during this acclimation process, slow down.  Don’t worry about training paces but simply run by effort.  Your paces will be slow and your heart rate will be high.  Don’t worry about it.  Focus less on pace and more on just getting the runs in.  In a short time, your body will acclimate and you’ll be able to return to near-normal training paces.
• Rehydrate!  This is the greatest challenge we face during summer running.  If I’m not diligent in my rehydration throughout the day, I’ll suffer on my next run and this can be particularly detrimental if I don’t properly rehydrate on the days prior to a workout.  I use water, Gatorade, lemonade and sparkling water to help me hydrate and I'm always on the look for a great electrolyte replacement drink without sugar.  I don’t like just drinking one type of drink so variety is the key for me.  Make sure you, too, focus on rehydration between your runs.

After a long weekend of painting and woodworking, my morning run was enjoyable despite the humidity.  On my run, I thought a lot about where everyone is in their training and what challenges are faced at this time of the year.  For some of you, you are returning to your base building phase after a spring marathon or half-marathon.  In this instance, your focus must become consistency.  No one day or workout has to be spectacular.  What’s more important is getting out the door and getting the miles in.  A consistent effort across the week – week after week – is the focus. 

Others are in the peak racing season with frequent racing and tough, race-specific workouts.  Here, your focus must be on maximizing recovery between key workouts so you can challenge yourself during the key workouts.  You also must be mentally ready to race better.  To maximize recovery, slow down on your easy days.  It sounds intuitive but it’s hard when you are in great shape.  By running slower than normal on the easy days, you’ll be able to really get the most from your race-specific workouts and this is where the benefits come at this time of the year for you. 

Lastly, you need to really get mentally ready to race – something most of us are horrible at.  We often simply wish for a good race instead of planning for it.  We hope to feel good on the day and push through the discomfort but we don’t prepare to feel good and push through.  Remember, racing is about challenging yourself and when you challenge yourself, things can get very shaky.  You will face many situations where you have to overcome negative thoughts or breaks in concentration.  That’s racing.  But, you can do it.  Just get ready for it in your head. 

I always think of it as a vote.  At some point (often multiple times) during a race, you must make a decision whether to push on or back off, whether to make a move to catch, pass or drop someone or to stay where you are.  You must vote.  I go into each race looking forward to the vote.  I know that these are the points that make for good races or bad races and accept that I will always have to vote.  Sometimes the vote to push on is easier than others.  However, I find that simply by knowing that I’m going to have to vote, it becomes easier to vote ‘go’.  I also know that voting to push on makes me happier after the race than avoiding the pain of pushing on,  So, I look forward to the vote and  as a result, I race better, more often.  You can do the same.

4 April 2005
Hitting the Roads
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

As you know, I raced yesterday so I thought I would send a quick update.  Overall, I’m happy.  The performance is better than my half-marathon from a couple of weeks ago and while it’s hard to tell just where the fitness is due to the hilly course, I feel I’m moving forward.  I was very lucky to have a group of guys to compete with the entire route.  I was in 10 th place or so after the first mile then with a group of 4 guys, moved into 7 th or so.  I could see 4 th through 6 th ahead by 10-20 seconds and knew that if I was smart, I had a chance to catch them.  My time goal going in was to run under 32:45.  Kelly Keane ran 32:45 a few weeks ago at the Azalea 10K so I wanted to beat her time!  As the race shaped up, my place goal became to be 4th. 

Like I’m sure you experience, there were two guys (in 5th and 6th) ahead only by about 5-10 seconds but despite our efforts, the four of us just couldn’t bridge the gap.  It’s weird isn’t it?  However, just about the time I was thinking that I was going to need to surge hard to get up with them and have a shot at 4 th place, another runner came from behind very fast.  It was the guy who finished second to me at the half-marathon so I knew how he raced – hard in the middle but not as strong as I am at the finish.  (I will say that I have a lot of respect for this guy, he races hard and never gives up.)  So, as he went by, I surged hard and just stuck right behind him.  At this time, we passed 3 miles and started on a long downhill.  Using the downhill and his momentum, we sailed up to one of the two guys ahead, finally catching him.  The original group of four was splinted with a couple of guys trying to hang on to us.  When you catch someone with a full head of steam, the best plan is to just keep rolling.  So, I encouraged the guy with me to come on and we just kept the pedal to the medal and flew into 5th place.  At this time, 4th place was up by about 4 seconds and holding his pace.  Since we had really increased our pace (see splits below), I knew we would soon catch him.  As the two of us were working up to him, a third guy (one from the original group of four) caught up to us.  This was good news as we now had someone else to share the pacing.  There was also some wind so having the opportunity to tuck in behind someone for a few seconds was very nice.  The three of us went by 5 th place with about 1.25 miles to go.  I was hurting but still feeling strong.  While this course is very rolling for the first 3 miles, the hardest part of this course is the last slight uphill with a mile to go.  This hill isn’t very steep but it’s long and after you just ran downhill from 3 to 5 miles, this hill seems even harder - like a punch to the gut.  I tried to relax as much as possible up this hill and let the other two guys take the lead.  I’m a very good uphill runner so I can often just let others push up hills and I can actually rest behind them.  As we topped the hill, we made a right turn onto a bridge.  Feeling good and always believing in my spring finish (stride workouts!), I decided I would wait until we came off the bridge to make my move for home.  Using the momentum from the slight downgrade off the bridge, I gathered my momentum and as we hit the finishing straight with about 500 meters to go, I surged as hard as I could. 

One tactic that I’ve been using lately with success is to surge like cyclists do – moving away from the opponent as you surge away instead of just going right around him and letting him possibly draft behind me.  This only works if the road is straight and you aren’t adding distance by swinging wide.  In yesterday’s case, the finishing straight was just that – straight.  I surged hard as I moved to the opposite side of the road and immediately put 10-20 meters on the other two guys.  Then, it just became a foot race.  I have good speed but in marathon training, you rarely do the type of anaerobic training needed to kick from 500 meters.  So, I had the usual thoughts, “Did I go too soon?”  I wondered if those guys would catch me.  I glanced back twice.  The first time, I thought one guy was getting closer so I dug deep to try and find another gear.  This sufficiently discouraged him and a final glance as I neared the finish showed that I was clear and would achieve my goal of breaking 32:45 minutes and finishing in the top 4. 

Not having sprinted that fast for that long in a very long time, it took me a while to catch my breath.  But, I was satisfied that I raced smart, made good decisions and had fun.  Today, I rest.  I’m a little sore from the fast downhills and today will be a great day to recover.  Then, it’s back to training.  I don’t have much time between now and the Vancouver Marathon (May 1) so I’ve got a few marathon-specific workouts to do.  Here are the details of the race:

Elevation Profile

Splits 

Mile 1 - 5:14

Mile 2 - 5:20

Mile 3 - 5:25

Mile 4 - 5:06

Mile 5 - 5:11

Mile 6 - 5:10

Mile .2 - 1:05

10K    - 32:33

1 April 2005
Race Time!
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Another reason why I like spring is because it’s RACE TIME!  Starting in April, there are 5Ks and 10Ks nearly every weekend. And, the spring marathon season gets into full swing with events like Boston, Country Music, The Flying Pig, Bayshore and Grandma’s Marathon.  Like many of you, I’m starting to race more often.  In fact, I’ll be racing a 10K on Sunday – another hilly course but I’m hoping run a smart race.  It will be fun to see how all the winter training we’ve done will pay off in the spring.  The year has been great so far with several on our team racing very well.  Let’s keep this momentum going into the spring.

For those focusing on the 5K to the half-marathon, April is ‘rust-buster month’.  I find that it takes a few early season races to remind myself how to race, how to dole out my effort across the distance and how to mentally push myself when it starts to hurt.  All these things get better and better as I race more.  I suspect it will be the same for you.  As a result, I focus more on execution rather than outcome in my first races of the spring.  If I can race smart (not going out too fast, making sure to push the middle third of the race to maintain pace and finishing strong), I know that I’ll be ready for some really fast times once I begin race-specific training later in the spring.  Many of you are in the same situation.

So, our goal in these early season races is execution.  Work on getting out strong but not too fast, focus on increasing your effort during the middle third of the race and let’s all finish strong.  Mostly importantly, however, never forget to have fun.  Let the competitive juices flow during the race then walk away afterward with a smile on your face and increased motivation to get the most from yourself this spring.  That’s my plan.

31 March 2005
Spring Has Sprung
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Spring has sprung and I love it!  This is my favorite season of the year – a time of renewal, growth, activity.  Nature is at full throttle and as a trail runner, I love being ‘in it’.  As I often do at this time of the year, I become very thankful.  As I run on wonderful trails and soak in all that spring has to offer, I’m really thankful that you share running with me.  I know I’m not perfect.  I make typos in training schedules, I don’t answer emails as quickly as I should, ‘life’ sometimes gets in the way, I forget a race or vacation or some adjustment to the program but the one thing I am is thankful.

I’m also very thankful to have my coaching partner Jonas along for the ride.  It’s great to have someone to work on training plans with – 4 eyes instead of just 2 on your program.  Jonas really knows his stuff and together, we help each other be better coaches, create better training programs and become better people.  Collaboration always makes us better.  While my wife rolls her eyes at our running geekness, we stay very motivated to do a better and better job at helping you.

So, here’s to spring and here’s to you, thanks for letting me be a part of it.

15 March 2005
Practicing What We Preach
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Spring has sprung here in Austin, and I'm beginning my training in earnest. As a test of my fitness, I decided to run the "Moe's Better Half-Marathon" in nearby San Marcos. Moe's is a hilly half-marathon out in the country so I thought it would be a good test of my strength as I get ready to tackle some fast-finish long runs. As you can see by the elevation chart below, the course has rolling hills throughout but I still wanted to implement our strategy of running faster the second half than the first half. My splits are listed below. I really tried hard to increase my pace over the last half of the race, even though I was running alone from Mile 6 to the finish.

As you head into your spring races, get your mind ready to finish fast. While you may not always be able pick to up your pace, you'll find that you don't slow down like most runners do.

McMillan Running training works. It works for me; it works for Jonas; and it works for you. With continued patience, consistency and dedication, we'll continue to see breakthrough performances. I'm excited for more spring races!

18 February 2005
Why Are You So Negative?
by Jonas Holdeman
McMillan Running Company

Here is an e-mail message I received Monday from a McMillan Running athlete in New Jersey:

Hi Jonas.

I ran a 15k yesterday in Central Park. This time I took your advice and ran the first five miles at about an eight minute pace and then picked it up, finishing at 70 min, 58 seconds, which came out to a 7:37 overall pace, which was 21 seconds per mile faster than the race two weeks ago. Also, I wasn't nearly as tired at the end of the run.

Regards,
Joe

Negative-splitting

Negative-splitting - running the second half of a race or workout faster than the first half - is a tried-and-true method of maximizing racing and training performances. In fact, virtually all world records from the 800m through the marathon were run in negative-split fashion. In long-distance, endurance-oriented races like the half marathon and up, running more slowly at the outset spares precious muscle glycogen for as late as possible in the race. In shorter races, running more slowly-relative to the average pace for the entire race distance-will keep lactic acid build-up at bay longer, allowing you to have a more pronounced and effective finishing kick. These are precisely the reasons we prescribe progression runs so often in training. We also know that finishing faster gives you a decided psychological boost and becomes a habit that you carry into races. After all, racing faster is why we train, isn't it?

A few years ago when the sports nutrition world was in a quandary - arguing whether the zone diet or the high-carbohydrate diet was the best thing for athletes, I read an article where the author stated that he was on the 80/20 diet. His strategy for good nutrition was that he would eat what he 'should eat' (a well-balanced diet that replaces his energy stores from training and enhances health) for 80% of the time and what he 'wanted to eat' the other 20% of the time. I like this diet strategy because I realize that nutrition goes beyond just fueling the body. What we eat can have positive effects on our mental state (which science now shows has positive effects on our physical state). For example, I love a good cheeseburger, fries and a beer (or fresh squeezed lemonade) and this is my traditional dinner on the evening after my long run. While I've worked hard to use good nutrition immediately after the run (see the RUNRR article on the website) and throughout the day, the burger, fries and drink serve as my reward for the long run. It makes me happy, satiated and relaxed. That's my 20%. We all invest so much in our running that we should be concerned with good nutrition - a key part in the performance equation. But, we should realize that nutrition, like running, involves not only the body but also the mind. Be good most of the time and eat what you should, when you should. But every now and then (say 20% of the time), eat what you want to. Don't over do it but don't let nutrition be a burden. Make it another tool to help you feel your best and run your fastest.

18 January 2005
Kelly Keane Wins HP Houston Marathon!!
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

Kelly Keane and I have been working together for the last two years. Step by step, training cycle after training cycle, we've slowly built her into an elite marathoner - both physically and mentally.

We first lowered her personal best from 2:48 to 2:36. As excited as we were with this improvement, we knew she could run faster and boy, did she! At the 2005 HP Houston Marathon, Kelly smashed her personal best by 4 minutes winning the race in 2:32. Running a perfect race (see splits below), she waited until late in the race then sped away from the competition to claim the victory.

While Kelly is certainly physically talented, I believe her greatest attribute is her mental toughness. She has a champion's mentality. She looks forward to challenges. She sets goals and then has the dedication to reach them. She suffers like all of us but accepts this suffering as part of the hard work necessary to reach her goals. On Sunday, she simply knew she was going to win. There was no stopping her. She had done the work - suffering through the fast finish long runs, building her speed and developing her stamina. She was fit and healthy and peaked right on time. She was going to win. No doubt about it.

Proper Marathon Pacing

A big key to Kelly's success was proper pacing. As many of you know, proper pacing in the marathon is very difficult. It's easy to go too fast in the beginning. To her credit, Kelly didn't do this. She started conservatively in the first couple of miles then settled into marathon pace. Our goal was to wait until she got late in the race (~22 miles) to start her 'fast finish long run'. The reason we do the fast finish long runs in the marathon phase is to condition the body and mind to 'up' the intensity late in the race which will keep you on pace. Kelly did this to perfection. As her competition began to slow in miles 20 and 21, Kelly charged ahead. Her lead grew quickly and she was able to keep pushing through the tough final few miles.

Congratulations Kelly!

11 January 2005
Five in '05
by Greg McMillan, M.S.
McMillan Running Company

As many of you know, I toured with Arthur Lydiard in December giving seminars across Texas. Arthur repeated throughout our talks the need for runners to do calf raises. Arthur understood that runners need to condition their muscles to be ready for the race-specific training that was required for peak performance. As such, one of your goals for 2005 should be to do calf raises at least five days per week. (Arthur said his runners did 20 calf raises every day.)

To perform a calf raise, stand on the edge of a step with your midfoot and heel off the step (see Photo 1 below). Stairs work best as you can stabilize yourself with the railing. Start the calf raise exercise by lowering your heels as far as possible but not to an uncomfortable level (Photo 2). Once you've reached your low point with your heels, contract your calves and raise up as high as possible on your toes (Photo 3). Next, slowly lower your heels again repeating the exercise for at least 5 repetitions. If you've never performed calf raises before or have had foot/calf problems in the past, start with 5 repetitions and increase the repetitions by 2-5 each week until you reach 20 reps. If you already do calf raises, possibly as part of your gym routine, you may be able to start with 10 or 20 reps. The exercises are shown with shoes on but can also be performed in bare feet.

Photo 1: Starting Position ............ Photo 2: Heels Lowered - Slowly

Photo 3: Heels Raised

Let me emphasize however that the calf raises are just to supplement your running. You are not out to 'feel the burn' or 'max out' the calves. These are just gentle exercises that you should do at least 5 days per week across this year to keep your calves strong, flexible and ready for race-specific training. Think long-term and take your time building up to 20 reps. There is no rush.

If you have had Achilles problems in the past (like I have), calf raises are especially important. Exercise therapy research is showing that the lowering of the calves (see Photo 2 above) helps the Achilles heal and become resistant to injury. After building to 20 reps, you can begin to do Achilles-specific calf raises. In this exercise, you raise up on your toes as described above but then lower heel down standing only on one leg (see Photo 4 below). Raise up using both legs but lower yourself using one leg. This eccentric loading (stretching the muscle while it is contracting) is proving to be a miracle cure for Achilles problems. This exercise is quite stressful so start very conservatively with five reps and build to 20 reps on each leg.

Photo 4: Raise up on your toes using both feet then lock one foot behind your ankle and lower slowly using only one leg.

2005 offers each of us a great opportunity to build ourselves into complete runners. Performing calf raises at least five days of every week is the first step toward this goal.

McMillan Mail
is sponsored by:

Run Strong
New Running Book
with a chapter by
Greg McMillan